The Wales Football Team, Euros 2016 and Lean Thinking

I am not really a football fan. Don’t ask me about the off-side rule …….!

But Wales have qualified for the Euros – 58 years since their last international tournament, so being Welsh – I am supporting the team. #TogetherStronger

So – the TV was on in the background before the Wales vs Slovakia match.

I heard Thierry Henry and John Hartson talking …..I could not believe my ears:

‘Team work – they know their roles and play for each other – a common goal’
‘efficiency is improving’
‘kicks can be wasteful’
‘% of shots on target’
‘accuracy is important’
‘wasting energy and movement on the ball’
‘speed and accuracy on the ball’
‘improving the efficiency and flow of the game’
‘getting the substitutions right – at the right time, without hampering the flow of the game’

I tuned in to the discussion and thought about lean thinking, operations management and sports science!

Heart-rate monitors worn by players can track the efficacy of movement, accuracy and efficiency of performance – much like a ‘spaghetti diagram’ for a business process, or an ‘operations dashboard’ in a Contact Centre, Warehouse or Production Line.

The synergies between Lean and Sports Science are interesting and will make watching Wales and the Euros even more fascinating for me – however, I doubt the off-side rule will ever become clearer!